Fiery Beginning
by Ataramos
Summary: Fills in the offical Guild Wars lore for the character Cynn, what happened to her and the other main characters immedeately after the Searing.
1. Chapter 1: After the Flames

**Disclaimer: Guild Wars does not belong to me, rather, it belongs to Arena Net and NCSoft. All characters and locations are copyright them.**

**Summary: Fills in what happened to the four core characters where the offical Guild Wars lore only briefly hints at. Takes place immedeately after the Searing, focused primarally on the elementalist Cynn and the warrior Devona, slight Shoujo-ai content in later chapters.**

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How long she had been trapped in the rubble of her home, she didn't rightly know. Three, four days maybe, since the crystals had rained from the sky, since the feel of flames and the smell of smoke had poisoned everything to the point that she had begun to think she'd never have the joy of fresh air again. Being unconscious for an unsure amount of time didn't help either. She wasnt sure how long it had been since it never got dark enough to signal nighttime, never light enough to show noon, only the constant flickering of fire that danced through the once proud city of Surmia. She supposed her parents were dead, she knew that if they werent, she wouldn't be trapped under the stone slab that was once the dining table. So many times she cursed the thing for being stone instead of wood, wood she could at least burn away with her magic. Being stuck in one place was infuriating, not to mention painful. Her entire body was bruised and aching, and she was convinced that her left leg was broken. Thankfully, both of her arms and hands were still in working condition, and she passed the time by flinging flares against the stone wall nearby, creating a larger and larger scorch mark on the wall, and hoping that someone would hear and come to her aid. It also helped keep her mind sharp, on the off chance that those who would hear her werent Ascalons, but rather, those horrible beasts, the Charr.

More time passed as she drifted in and out of sleep, and she began to talk to herself, gradually growing weaker from her ordeal. "This isn't how you envisioned your death, now was it Cynn?" She traced the pattern of the marble that cruelly held her down with one finger. "No, you had dreams of becoming a Guild leader, or at the very least one of its officers. Instead, here you lie, wasting away under a table, to be found as nothing more than bones." She shuddered faintly at the thought that she'd become like those in the catacombs, undead and filled with hatred for the living. It was most certainly not something she wished for, but the longer she lingered, the more convinced she became that it would be her fate. She cursed the gods again, only to angrily brush away tears and ask for Dwayna's forgiveness a few minutes later. Balthazar's fire burned in her angry eyes, the young Elementalist swearing several times that she would avenge her countrymen using the very thing the beasts worshiped, fire, in her war god's name. That was, of course, provided that she get out of this mess. "Sweet Dwayna, I don't want to die this way! There's so much I wanted to do..." The lack of hearing anything but the flames that continued to burn, and occasionally hearing someone scream, all served to wear away at Cynn's hopes of ever being found. As far as she knew, everyone else could very well be dead. She sighed, then angrily pushed at the table again, biting back a yelp as the slight motion ground the rough edge at her twisted leg. Laying back and staring upwards through the broken roof at the sky above, she amused herself with thoughts of escape, and of fleeing over the mountains to Kryta, or preferably to the kingdom of Orr. The thought that the Charr had destroyed them was pushed away, stubbornly clinging to the hope that somewhere, the world was still in some resemblance of being normal, that the gods hadn't completely forsaken them all, and that somewhere, there were still Ascalons alive. A faint smile drifted over her features as the first sign that it was night slowly moved into her sight, the moon creeping into view as it tossed off the veil of clouds. It was still red, tainted by the haze of smoke, but it was also a sign that the horrors of the last few days had the chance of fading. With that hopeful thought in mind, Cynn closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

Guttural growls and the sound of stones being moved pulled her from her dreams, her eyes flashing open as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. A shock of fear and a bit of anger settled in her stomach, she quickly recognizing the sounds of the Charr as they moved closer, likely looting the burnt city. She clenched and unclenched her hands, her eyes flashing as she prepared to cast flare at the first furry head she saw. As she heard them move into the remnants of her home, an unusual calm settled over her, her anger fading and being replaced by a cold determination to get out of this alive, and if she could use the beasts for her own means, then by Balthazar, she would do it. Not even hearing what she could only guess was the excitement generated at finding her parents bodies was able to penetrate this calm that was so unnatural for her fiery personality. She briefly glanced upwards, the moon long passed, the streaks of sunlight instead showing the coming dawn, and took a deep breath, slowly letting the tension flow from her as she lay back down.

The sound of claw on stone announced the presence of the beast as it moved into the corner of her vision. It was an axe warrior, one of the grunts of the Charr army. The lion like beast lifted its head and sniffed the air, quickly fixing its beady eyes on Cynn's form. She didn't turn her head to look at it, but stared steadily at it from the side of her vision. The axe warrior turned and barked something to those with it before it stepped closer, continuing to eye Cynn and attempt to determine if the trapped girl was a threat. She held still, keeping an eye on the one that moved closer before glancing at the two that followed. One was a hunter, easily recognized by it's bow and arrows, the other was another axe warrior, this one smaller than the first. A fire caller appeared behind them, but even the appearance of this formidable warrior didn't penetrate the cool aura that was keeping Cynn from snapping. It eyed her, then growled something to the two axe warriors before turning and stalking out of her sight. The axe warriors looked at each other then down to her, the hunter repeating the same sounds the fire caller had and gesturing towards the table. With a shrug, the two warriors moved and began tossing aside bits of rubble, working to free up the table from her body. She kept her eyes locked with the hunter, a part of her mind swearing that the thing was leering at her in its confidence that she was an easy catch. That same part of her mind asked why she was being so calm, but at this point, her decision had been made, and she wasnt about to back down from it. Barely able to hold back a yelp as the two warriors roughly pushed the table aside from her legs, she was then grabbed at the shoulders from behind by a Charr she hadnt seen before, one that likely had come through the remains of the wall behind her. Grimacing and unable to keep from struggling as it pulled her from her home, she gasped as she was dropped to the ground in front of the once grand entrance to her home. She glanced up towards her house, taking quick stock of the fact that one of the crystals had fallen directly onto her it, and that she faced six Charr; the two axe warriors, two hunters, one of the hunters being the one which had pulled her from the house, along with a flame caller and one she had never seen the likes of before. They had left her to shuffle through a bit of the rubble, assuming that her injuries would keep her from doing much of anything. Cynn slowly smiled, a wicked, dark expression that seemed out of place on her delicate features, and somehow, likely from the calm which still filled her, managed to push herself up to her knees, and then to standing, despite the twisted state of her leg. One of the hunters made a sound of surprise as it saw her, reaching for an arrow to notch in its bow as the two axe warriors started forward.

They didn't stand a chance. With a speed greater than even her flare spell usually held, she gestured outwards with her hands before flinging them forward, an arcane symbol forming above her head as the massive fireball flew towards the surprised Charr, blasting all six back and into the rubble of her home. Throwing her head back as she raised her hands above her head, a ring of runes appeared at her feet as she levitated up into the air. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she screamed out her emotions, and with a forward toss of her head and arms, watched as meteors began raining down upon the trapped Charr, destroying what was left of her home and killing the beasts within. Falling forward to her knees, she screamed and threw flare after flare at the burning rubble, finally falling to her side as her spells drained her of the remnants of energy, darkness creeping over her vision. She smiled as her last thought before falling into the dark was that she at least had saved her parents some bit of dignity and cleansed them with Balthazar's fire instead of the twisted flame the Charr worshiped.

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Devona moved grimly through the land north of the wall, working her way with her companions towards the ruins of Surmia. Scouts had reported Charr activity in the ruined city, and Prince Rurik had commanded his Vanguard to step up their searches for survivors from the initial Charr attack. The barely secured old city had been the sight of constant streams of survivors from beyond the wall ever since the first wave had been pushed back, and now, a week later, things had reached an uneasy lull. The number of survivors entering the city had slowed to a trickle, and with the current lack of attacks upon the walls, Prince Rurik thought it prudent to send out search parties to seek out those Ascalons who may still survive but be unable to make it to the city on their own. Aidan the ranger and Mhenlo the monk were along with her, one of the small groups that were slowly making their way out through the charred landscape. The three of them walked in silence, Aidan taking the point to search for any Charr warbands and determine if they fight or sneak about, Mhenlo walking behind her and murmuring quiet prayers for the dead they passed on their way. Many fires still burned, and Devona entertained the thought that they would for all eternity. She shifted her hammer from one shoulder to the other, making a soft whistle to catch Aidan's attention. When the ranger glanced back at her, she tilted her head towards a shaded bit of ground below a rocky outcrop, indicating to him that she wished to take a break. He nodded and followed as she and Mhenlo made their way to sit. Devona sighed as she placed the head of her hammer on the ground, leaning forward against the handle. Her eyes scanned the landscape wearily, watching the sun set as Mhenlo fussed with the piece of a statue of Dwayna he had found earlier, Aidan standing a short distance away and looking forward towards where they were heading. It was the monk who broke the silence.

"How many do you think we'll find?"

Devona glanced up at the younger man. His face was a mix of emotion, uncertainty still prominent among them. She imagined that he likely thought that he'd never be called into war like this, despite being a member of her squad as they went through the academy and trained for just this thing. But then, she also thought, none of them expected this to happen.

"Survivors?" She queried pointlessly.

"Yeah. Surmia was hit hard, so few from it have reached Ascalon City..." he trailed off, setting down the stone wing in front of him. She knew he held some level of guilt over the things that had happened, the rumors that he had discovered before the attack having been proven right.

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders a little. "I'm not certain. We have to hold some hope that we'll find someone. The people of Surmia are stubborn and proud."

"A survival technique to be certain." Aidan spoke as he moved closer to the other two. He was on edge, his curt tone evident of it. Though he trusted Devona and Mhenlo's ability to fight and trusted them with his life, the fact that they were missing a member caused him to be even more cautious than usual. "And she's more stubborn than most." He briefly alluded to what was on all of their minds, the fact that the fourth member of their training group had lived in Surmia, and had been visiting her home when the attack happened.

Devona nodded, standing again as she stretched her arms up over her head. "There's no doubting that." She smiled faintly and once again hefted the hammer up over her shoulder with practiced ease. "Let's go, we've got about half a nights walk yet."

The two men nodded and settled quickly into the same walking pattern as before, Aidan moving forward a distance. He crept forward to a ridge, cautiously peering up over the edge as Devona and Mhenlo waited at the base, watching him. The warrior arched a slender eyebrow as she noticed Aidan jerk slightly, the ranger quickly dipping down and slipping quietly down the hill to the two below.

"Well?" Devona watched Aidan's face, sensing that something was wrong.

Aidan pointed east. "We go that way. Charr. Lots of them, between us and the city, we need to sneak around, there's no way that we'd be able to fight through."

Devona sighed and ran her hand through her hair as Mhenlo paled visibly. She dropped her hammer down into her hands as she slipped slowly up the ridge to see herself. She bit her lower lip as she surveyed the large grouping of Charr spread out below her, it seemed that they had set up camp between Ascalon City and Surmia since the last scout report. She looked out towards the west and then to the east, nodding lightly as she agreed with Aidan's decision that they should go to the east. Slipping down the ridge, she nodded to Aidan to start again. They had traveled for about an hour without incident, dodging the sight of a warband of six members, and taking out a small group of three hunters. Cresting another ridge, they slipped down between two groups of rocks, the exposed position making Devona nervous. She had good reason to be so as an axe warrior rounded the rocks and blocked the path in front of them.

For the barest of moments, the Charr stared at the three humans, they likewise startled motionless by its appearance, as if holding still would keep them from being seen. No such luck as the Charr yelped out a call before swinging its axe in front of itself, charging forward, claws digging into the dirt as two more came into view behind, alerted by the axe warriors call. Devona cursed and stepped forward to meet the charging warrior as Aidan dropped back behind her, crouching as he began to quickly prepare his arrows. With a clang, she blocked the swing from the warriors axe with the handle of her hammer, twisting to smack the side of its head with the end of the hammer, knocking the beast off balance. With a spin of the hefty weapon over her head, she brought the proper end of the hammer to bear against the side of his skull, satisfied as she heard the crack of bone before the Charr slumped to the ground. Aidan stood now, letting loose an arrow into one of the two approaching warriors, one wielding an axe, the other a sword, the arrow clanging uselessly off the shoulder armor of the swordsman, causing Aidan to curse. Devona met the axe warrior with an even blow of hammer to axe, hissing as the steel cut her upper arm. Her blow glanced off the warriors chest, and quite suddenly, both the axe warrior and the swordsman were upon her, she focused on defending herself more than attacking. To make matters worse, the high-pitched whine and explosion of flame, which singed her cheek, announced the presence of hunters, and she spied the two Charr at the entrance of the path.

"Get the hunters!" She shouted to Aidan, who had already trained his sight on the opposing rangers. She cursed again as the axe warrior struck a blow which knocked her off balance, gritting her teeth as she waited for the expected blow from the swordsman, but it didnt come. Mhenlo shouted out a curse of Balthazar as he backpeddled away from the swordsman which had turned its attention from Devona to him, the divine spell sapping some of the creatures strength while it gave him more, the balls of energy from his wand impacting against the Charr's chest and causing it to fall back a bit. Taking a hit to her back from the axe, Devona swung her hammer and connected with the swordsman's shoulder, causing it to twist about and take the full brunt of the hit she directed to his chest.

Another explosion of fire went up around Aidan as he exchanged volleys with the two, his arrows causing poison damage instead of fire, one of the two hunters falling as a well-placed shot struck its chest. He was evenly matched with the second, neither gaining on the other. Mhenlo had taken up a position near him, just out of the reach of the flames from the exploding arrows as he cast a spell to cure the archer of the injuries from the flames. A cry of pain from Devona caused him to quickly turn towards her, his eyes widening in horror as he saw the axe warrior with the curve of his blade buried in his friend's back, the swordweilding Charr crumpled at Devona's feet. Aidan spun about from the other hunter at her cry, a pointblank shot driving an arrow in and nearly through the axe warrior's skull, causing it to fall without a sound before he turned his attention back to the hunter. Mhenlo ran over to the unmoving warrior, crouching next to her as he wrenched the axe from her battered armor. Beginning a powerful healing spell, he swore as a shot from the hunter distracted him and broke his concentration before Aidan managed to finally fell the beast. Knowing that Mhenlo needed as much energy as he could get to help Devona, he crouched next to the monk as he prepared an unguent to help heal himself, casting a worried look at the motionless warrior. Mhenlo gritted his teeth and cast a weak healing spell while he tried to clear his mind of the fog caused by the archer's shot so that he could cast the more powerful spell needed to heal her wound properly. After a few moments, he began the incantation anew, sighing as the energy flowed from his hands and into Devona's body. She shuddered and blinked open her eyes, shaking her head a little as she pushed herself up, grimacing at the pain from the wound to her shoulder, holding her hand up as Mhenlo made to cast another spell.

"Save it." She told him through gritted teeth, her eyes roaming over him and Aidan to check their state. "I'll heal up as we travel, that's what this armor is for, remember? The healing properties." She tried a smile as she used her hammer to help herself stand.

Mhenlo looked about to protest, but Aidan silenced him with a look. "We're about an hour outside of Surmia now. I think that group was reporting back to that large camp, so hopefully, they were the only scouting unit out. I'll go a little further ahead this time though, okay?" The ranger looked to Devona for her decision, and the warrior nodded quietly. He nodded and moved ahead, picking up a bow from one of the fallen archers and glancing over it as he walked. He guided them around another group of Charr, his eyes scanning the sky as he watched the moon begin to set. Dropping back, he signaled for Devona and Mhenlo to stop.

"We're nearing the city. Should we set up camp now and rest for a day, or do you want to get into the city before we do that?" He asked, unstringing the bow he had gotten from the fight earlier in the night.

Devona thought for a few moments, leaning against a large rock. "Its not safe anywhere, really. At least inside the city we might find a fallen building that can shelter us well. Better than being out in the open and venerable to hunters arrows." Mhenlo and Aidan nodded, the three starting into the city.

Surmia was a mess. Not a single building was left unmarred, most nothing but burnt out husks. It was fairly obvious that the Charr had gone through and destroyed anything that was left after their crystals had struck and so devastated the city. Without really thinking, Devona took the lead within the close quarters of the ruined buildings, and found herself heading towards the nobles district. She also found herself murmuring a quiet prayer to Dwayna that her friend still somehow still be alive. As suspected, no survivors were found as they traveled, many burnt and mangled bodies, and an unfortunate spirit or two, but no living person was seen. Glancing over her shoulder to Aidan, she met his steady look in an attempt to calm herself some.

"Look!" Mhenlo shouted, startling the other two as he pointed ahead at the sky. A powerful fire spell had been cast, meteors raining down from above, shaking the ground where they hit about a mile away, felt even by those who watched. As the last one fell, further flashes of flame were seen as fire began to lick at the sky, dark smoke rising to blur the morning sun. The three exchanged quick looks with each other, each knowing that no Charr could cast spells of that magnitude, and without a word spoken, they broke out into a run towards its source.

The flames grew higher as they ran, Devona pushing herself harder with a murmured incantation to Balthazar, pulling ahead of Aidan and Mhenlo and turning the corner first, leaping over a fallen statue. Skidding to a stop, using the momentum to swing her hammer into attack position, she took quick stock of what was in front of her. One of the grand noble houses was completely engulfed in flames, a shattered and broken crystal shining in the firelight in the center of the building, the smell of burnt fur strong in the air, but there was no sign of any Charr. Instead, the fire highlighted a smaller figure laid out in front on the ground, and Devona felt her heart leap into her throat as she quickly recognized the one who had been on their minds the entire trip to the city. "Cynn!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Need to Hold On

**Disclaimer: Guild Wars does not belong to me, rather, it belongs to Arena Net and NCSoft. All characters and locations are copyright them.**

**Summary: Fills in what happened to the four core characters where the offical Guild Wars lore only briefly hints at. Takes place immedeately after the Searing, focused primarally on the elementalist Cynn and the warrior Devona, slight Shoujo-ai content in later chapters.**

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If Cynn had thought she was going to die earlier, she now thought that she most assuredly had and gone on to the afterlife, she could swear that she heard her mother calling her name. It was about then that the pain hit her mind, and she cried out, or at least thought she did. She felt strong hands moving her body, the heat of the flames she caused lessening as she was likely carried away. Mumbled voices were heard in her clouded mind, and she decided that she wasn't dead, for death couldn't hurt this much. The cooling touch of divine magic washed over her as she drew in a shuddering breath, grimacing a little as she tried to open her eyes. 

"Cynn? Cynn, can you hear me?" It was a female voice, likely the one she thought was her mother earlier, but this voice was younger, more insistent. "Cynn, open your eyes!"

Another wave of magic flowed over her, lessening the ache from the bruising, but not quite pushing away her weariness or the pain from her leg, nor some of the larger burns from the fire her own magic had started and ended up inflicting on her. "I can't do anything more, out of energy..." A male voice this time, one that carried a hint of desperation, and a lot of uncertainty and apology. The name...she knew the name...it was reluctant coming to her...his and the woman...

"The fire seems to have caught the attention of more Charr, we have to move her further from here." A third voice, another male, also so familiar...

She felt herself lifted again, the scent of the woman a comfort after the days of smoke and flame, she could only assume that she was being carried by another woman, the slick feel of armor against her skin. She grimaced faintly at the jostling motion caused by the one carrying her, but couldnt find her voice to protest. Her awareness clouded fully again, and when she came to what little consciousness she could find, the hard ground was all too evident below her.

"Mhenlo, are you sure you cant cast anything more than healing breeze? She doesn't have enough strength to make that be of any use!" The female voice was frustrated and curt, a hissed whisper. Mhenlo, she knew that name!

"Devona, I swear by Dwayna that I cant, not right now. In an hour I can, I promise."

Another recognizable name. Now if only she could find her voice and tell them all to be quiet, her head was pounding.

"We've got her stabilized, we can hide here until Mhenlo can cast a few more healing spells." This voice was calmer than the other two, a bit more in control, and she was thankful for his stability in her pained state.

"Can you do anything, Aidan?" The woman...who was it? Oh, Devona, she spoke again. Aidan, that must be the third person who spoke.

There was the touch of a hand to her cheek, and she tried again to open her eyes, but once again, to no avail.

"She's no longer bleeding, she'll be steady for a good while. She's stubborn, remember?"

Cynn wanted quite badly to smile in reaction to that, as she knew the one who spoke had to have been smiling somewhat as well, despite the fact that she knew she must look absolutely horrid after being stuck for Dwayna only knows how long. After a bit, she wasn't sure if it was silence that had fallen or if she had gone unconscious again, but she attempted to open her eyes yet again, her determination now focused on that small task. And surprisingly, she was able to, at least a small bit, though she still couldn't see a thing, at least, not much through the blur. Whoever was holding her, however, was easily able to see that she was trying, and she felt a soft touch to her cheek. "Cynn?"

"You all need to learn to speak softer, you know?" Her mouth was dry, but she spoke as well as she could without her tongue cracking. Water washed over her face, clearing a bit of her sight and she looked up at the simultaneously relieved yet tremendously worried face of the female warrior who was her commander. Relief flooded through her, her vision once again clouding, this time from her tears. "..Devona..." The warrior nodded, briefly wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand before she reached to grasp Cynn's hand tightly. A light smirk crossed the elementalist's lips. "...what took you so long?"

A faint shock of anger washed over Devona's features before the woman realized that Cynn was baiting her in order to make the situation at least somewhat normal, and the anger quickly faded back to the concern she held earlier. "Had to make sure you had the opportunity to show off." Devona brushed a bit of Cynn's blond hair back from her face, the already thin woman looking even worse after her ordeal. "I...you...Im glad we found you." Devona's voice cracked as she quietly trailed off.

Cynn blinked a few times and shifted a bit in Devona's hold, pressing her cheek to the cool armor covering the warriors' chest. Glancing about, she spied Mhenlo resting against a partly crumbled wall, the monk looking faintly desperate as he worked to regenerate his power in order to cast another healing spell. Aidan stood in the doorway to the small room they had holed up in, and turning towards the two women, he smiled and winked to Cynn, looking almost as relieved as Devona did. Devona occupied herself with using a damp cloth to softly wash Cynn's face and arms, the normally fiery and highly independent elementalist letting her, her mind mulling over the recent events.

"Im glad you found me too. Did you see what I did? I dont think I can pull off those spells again any time soon...but you should have seen the look on those beasts faces...served them right for what they...for what they did..." Her grip on Devona's hand gradually increased as she slowly began to lose the calm which had come over her before, and the full horror of what she experienced settling in her mind now that she had the relief of being found not only by a human, but by the three people she trusted most in her life. "How long..." She coughed, grimacing and curling up slightly as it sent a wave of pain through her body, Devona tightening her hold as she raised her hand to brush her fingers over Cynn's forehead.

"Shhh, it's okay now. Just relax, Mhenlo will be able to heal you more soon, and when you're able, we'll head back to Ascalon City. I'm sure the Prince will be glad to know you're alright, and we've missed you." Devona continued on about as many random things which came to her mind, describing the fight with the warband on the way to Surmia, conveniently leaving out the bit about her nearly getting her arm cut off by the axe warrior. She spoke of the battles since the initial attack as lightly as one could, speaking of the lands Ascalon had regained and the bravery in holding back the Charr. But she realized, because of the blank sort of expression in Cynn's eyes, that the elementalist wasn't really listening, she just needed someone to help keep her in touch with reality, to hold her, to speak to her. It was an expression she had seen a lot over the last week and a half, and something she herself had briefly gone through and would still be if she hadn't had the support of the two men with her. Even they had suffered sleepless nights and fits of anger at what had happened, but Cynn was four years younger than she, two years younger than the stoic Mhenlo, and considering what she had just gone through, a week and a half of being trapped in her ruined home, Devona feared for the elementalist's sanity. As Cynn closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Devona gradually fell silent again, and let a few tears course down her cheeks.

"She'll be alright." Aidan's soft voice spoke next to Devona, the warrior looking up to the ranger who had moved close to her side and was now crouched next to her.

Devona sighed and gently shifted Cynn in her arms. "Physically, yes, but what of her mind? I don't wish to see her in the sanitarium..."

Aidan shook his head, resting his hand on Devona's shoulder. "No, she wont end there. Look at what she just lived through, and remember our time together at the academy? Yes, she's only eighteen, but she's stronger than so many we've seen come through this, she will to."

"Funny, I was just thinking of what she had gone through as a reason to fear for her mind." Devona leaned back against the wall, playing her fingers through Cynn's hair as her eyes took in the injuries still needing to be healed. A faint shudder flowed through her at the sight of the girl's mangled leg, and she carefully began to wash the dried blood away with the damp cloth, grimacing slightly each time she felt Cynn wince. "She sometimes drives me up the great wall itself but, I dont know what I'd have done if we didn't find her tonight..."

Aidan took the cloth from Devona and rinsed it clean, and then handed it back to the warrior, knowing it calmed her to help and comfort Cynn. He was relieved at finding the spell caster, but he suspected that Devona was much more so than he. "I think that we would have continued on, but it certainly is nice to know that she's as stubborn as we suspected in the first place." He smiled lightly. Devona had been so fixated on getting Cynn to safety after finding her that she hadn't seen the destruction the girl had wrought, but he lingered long enough to have seen the extent of her spell casting power. The signs of divine intervention were clear about the area, and he strongly suspected that Balthazar himself, granting her greater power than she normally possessed to protect herself and destroy the Charr that had attacked her, had briefly blessed her. That itself was almost more comforting than finding her, it showed that the gods hadn't completely left them like many feared, but he didn't know if Cynn herself would realize it any time soon.

More time passed, Devona getting fidgety as the hour that Mhenlo said he needed came and went, but with a calming touch from Aidan, she managed to stay her tongue and let the exhausted monk continue to commune with his gods and rebuild his energy. Cynn slept quietly in her arms, Devona checking periodically to make certain that the younger girls pulse and breathing stayed even. Aidan ventured out from the building a short way and managed to find a cluster of unburnt vegetables in a root cellar, beginning to prepare them for a meal and making certain to be careful to save the seeds. Plants would be desperately needed to help keep the people of Ascalon alive, and he knew it. As he worked, Mhenlo blinked free from his trance and stood. The monk glanced around, momentarily confused before his eyes settled on Cynn and Devona. Moving over to the two women, he crouched down and began to start the series of complex incantations that would greatly heal the elementalist's injuries. He was skilled, but not quite enough to completely undo the wounds Cynn carried, but he'd at least be able to heal her leg and give her a boost of energy so she would be able to more easily return to the more skilled monks in the city. Devona watched his movements like a hawk watching its prey; she knew his ability and trusted it, but she was just enough on edge that she was wary of everything. As he kept quietly chanting Devona looked over towards Aidan.

"She hasn't eaten for so long, that's not too strong, is it?" Like her watching of the monk, her concern reached out to the much older and knowledgeable ranger. A part of Devona's mind grimaced as she realized she was worrying over things she likely shouldn't have to, but she just couldn't help it.

Aidan smiled tolerantly and nodded; gesturing slightly towards the smaller pot he had set up on the side. "I've made a broth specifically for her. It's not too strong, but has a lot of things that she needs right now."

Devona nodded and looked back as she spied the light of Mhenlo's magic flowing from his hands to Cynn's body, the girl taking in a deep breath as Devona watched Cynn's leg shift oddly back into its natural state, a fair amount of the bruising fading. Cynn shifted, but did not wake, tightening her hold on the warrior's hand in her sleep. Devona smiled her thanks to Mhenlo as the monk sat back heavily, wiping at the beads of sweat which had formed on his brow. He nodded back and staggered a bit as he got to his feet and moved over to where Aidan was, accepting the bowl of stew he offered before moving to sit in a shaft of sunlight the midday sun shone down into the rubble. Aidan held a bowl up to Devona, but she shook her head, lifting her head to look up at the sky above.

"What's our plan now?" Mhenlo spoke between bites, watching Devona. Aidan settled into eating a bowl of the stew for himself, tilting his head slightly as he too was curious to hear Devona's answer.

The warrior continued to look up to the sky for a few quiet moments, then back down at the girl in her arms. Her brow furrowed a bit as she spoke. "We'll see how she's feeling after we get some food into her. If she thinks she can walk, we'll leave tonight, though Im a little more inclined to leave tomorrow during the day. More Charr are moving around during the day, but we'd be more able to see them and avoid them. Regardless, before we go if we do tonight, or even if we don't, I want you two to head out into the city a bit after the sun sets and see if you can find anyone else alive, though if the Charr were going through and looting, I doubt we'll be blessed with any more."

Mhenlo nodded and set his bowl aside, standing and getting a bowl of the weaker broth as well as something for Devona. Crouching next to the two women, he held out one bowl to Devona. "Here, you need to eat something."

Devona looked about to protest, but before she could she yelped lightly from a pinch to her lower arm, glancing down to see Cynn opening her eyes and giving the warrior a look. "Eat something you stubborn oaf." A smile touched the corner of Cynn's lips as she watched the familiar play of expressions across Devona's face, that slight look of flared up irritation in her eyes before the usual calm settled in, though Cynn often said the calm was really simply bullheadedness on Devona's part. The elementalist was a creature of emotion, it fueled her power and the decisions she made, each choice she made with her heart never doubted in her mind. The warrior, by contrast, was trained to make decisions based on calm logic and what was best for the safety of her kingdom, often putting aside personal wishes and desires for Ascalon. Together, they made a good balance, Devona taming the fires of Cynn and keeping the elementalist from consuming herself with her sometimes rash decisions, and Cynn helping Devona to see beyond the big picture and look closer at the meaningful details within, and if you asked Cynn, helping Devona to stay human.

Shaking her head with a light smile, Devona helped Cynn sit up on her own, though she kept an arm wrapped about the girl's shoulders until she was convinced that she was steady and not about to fall. Mhenlo grinned at Devona and held out the bowl to her, and with a slight wrinkling of her nose, Devona took the bowl and set it down, taking the other before the monk held it out to Cynn, and handing it to the girl herself. "I will if you will."

Mhenlo chuckled lightly as he stood and walked to the side of the room, starting into a dance-like series of exercises. Cynn glanced at Devona out of the corner of her eye as she accepted the bowl. "Like you need to tell me twice? There was only so much within reach while I was stuck, Im famished."

Devona started to eat as well as Aidan moved over to add a small stick to the fire. The ranger looked into the flames for a moment, then over to Cynn. "You were trapped? How did you get outside your home then?"

If looks could kill, Aidan supposed that the one shot to him by the warrior would have struck him down right there, but he was curious, and he knew that it was best to speak of such things instead of keeping them all bottled up inside, much like Devona did on a regular basis. Cynn paused for a moment, her bright blue eyes getting a bit of a far off look before she locked her gaze with Aidan's deep brown. "You think I would have stayed here if I weren't trapped?" A faintest touch of anger accompanied the words. "When the crystal struck my home, I became trapped below the stone dining table, the blasted marble slab lay on my legs, and was pinned down by larger pieces of rubble. Thankfully, I suppose, a large amount of food was on said table and had been scattered about, enough within my reach to have kept me sustained for a few days."

She looked down at the bowl in her hands, mindful of the feel of Devona's shoulder behind her own for a bit of support without being obvious about it, and was grateful for the warriors subtleness. "I didn't know how long it had been, there was no way to tell night from day, and I believe I was out of it for a fair while, I had one hell of a headache." Looking down at her palm, Cynn flexed her hand a few times, clenching it into a fist before relaxing it again. "I passed the time by talking to myself and flinging flares at the wall. I didn't throw any up into the sky, I didn't know if there was anyone left alive aside from those horrible beasts, and I didn't fancy being found by them. But last night, a group did, I suppose it took them a while to get to looting that part of the city."

Devona made a sound and set her bowl aside, the small room otherwise silent save for the crackling of the fire. Aidan was watching Cynn carefully as she spoke, and Mhenlo had stopped his routine to listen as well. "When I heard them approach I was ready to fight to the death where I was. But, something, I don't know, but…" She glanced at Mhenlo as if he could answer the question in her mind, the look in her eyes causing Aidan to revise earlier assumptions about the elementalist realizing the touch of the divine. "…but something sort of, came over me, and I felt the calmest I've ever felt in my life." She looked down at her hands again, a smirk on her lips. "I suppose I had accepted that I was to die, and had reached the point of insane desperation. I decided, then and there, that I wasn't going to die under a table, and the calm urged me to wait just a little longer."

Cynn set her bowl into Devona's and unabashedly reached to take the warrior's hand, squeezing it softy. "So I waited. I only saw four at first, the axe warrior that found me, a hunter, another warrior, and a fire caller." Devona audibly sucked a breath in through her teeth at that, fire callers were some of the most dangerous Charr to deal with, but she said nothing. Cynn continued. "Apparently the fire caller was the leader, and ordered the axe warriors to free me, which they did as it left. Another beast pulled me from the rubble and left me in front of the house, I suppose they thought that in my state I wasn't going anywhere. By that point, there were six, the four from before, another hunter, and this one, sickly looking Charr that Ive never seen before. It work a skull helm…" She drifted off for a moment at the memory of how the Charr looked, then shook her head.

"The calm switched into rage and I felt a surge of energy greater than anything any enchantment ever placed upon me in the academy could ever dream of doing. My mind felt opened to something, and it felt like I was reaching up into the heavens themselves in order to pull down the meteors of flame with my own hand." A dark expression settled on the elementalist's features, her eyes darkening and her smile wicked, a look more fitting for the pale followers of Grenth than for Cynn. "They didn't stand a chance. The last bit I remember was flinging fireball after fireball into the inferno before passing out, then you all were there." She looked up, the dark look gone and replaced by a tired, yet determined expression. "I _will_ learn how to do that on my own at will, and rain destruction upon those who sought to destroy _us_."

And if you asked any of the three there when the elementalist made this decree, not a single one of them would have doubted her.


End file.
